Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112 review: Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112

Editors' Note: The Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112 is identical to the U2112 released this summer. We've republished most of that original review here, although we've updated the text to put the U3112 in proper competitive context with more recent all-in-ones in its price range.

7.2

Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112

The Good

23-inch, 1080p display uncommon at this price; fast Intel Core i5 CPU; HDMI input lets you connect other video devices.

The Bad

Clunky design; no Blu-ray drive; obfuscated support phone number and user-unfriendly online.

The Bottom Line

Acer's Aspire Z5700 is a fast, media-friendly all-in-one that would serve well as a media hub in a dorm or a den. We'd like to see a bit more polish in its design, and a Blu-ray drive would make it a home run, but on balance we can recommend this system for its speed, its large screen, and its digital media versatility.

Acer's Aspire Z5700 U3112 all-in-one picks up where the older Z5600 model left off at the end of 2009. By offering a 23-inch, 1080p-capable all-in-one for $1,099, Acer can make a compelling argument against Apple's more expensive, entry-level 21.5-inch iMac on screen size alone. It also boasts competitive performance with the $1,199 iMac, as well as better home entertainment versatility thanks to its HDMI input. Apple maintains a clear design lead over this Acer PC, and other all-in-ones in this price range feature Blu-ray, which the Aspire Z5700 lacks. We're willing to forgive the former, and the latter is easily remedied thanks to the HDMI input. We recommend this desktop to anyone looking for a versatile, large-screen all-in-one for a reasonable price.

Our gripe with the Acer's design has to do with its front support posts. They work as intended, but they look cheap, like the product of a homemade repair job. The rest of the system's design is fine, and, most importantly, the posts don't interfere with the overall functionality of the Aspire Z5700. We would encourage Acer to pay greater heed to design in the future.

As with the Z5600, the Z5700 is a touch-screen all-in-one. You can still use the system with the included wireless mouse and keyboard, but Acer has updated the touch software for the better. The big changes come with the home screen for the touch apps. Acer has done away with the animated "peel down" corner on the Windows desktops that brings you to a page with floating application icons. Instead you get a carousel-style home screen that makes it easier to sort through the various media players, games, and other programs. None of the touch applications is particularly revolutionary, and you won't likely spend much time with any but the media players. We're still glad to see a better way to interact with them.